Student Expelled Over Facebook Pic

An Iberville Parish school student has been expelled for taking what school officials call "an inappropriate photo" of another student while in the restroom. The student who allegedly snapped the photo with a smart phone then posted the picture on his facebook wall.While the student will no longer be allowed to take classes at the Math, Science & Art Academy-West, however the student can enroll for classes at the Iberville Parish Alternative Center.

This leads to rather good topic, should students even be allowed to have phones on a junior high or high school campus? Its obvious in this case that had the student not had a phone in his possession, chances are they would have never been expelled. Furthermore, cell phones not only serve as a distraction, but also as another avenue for cheating? Do students REALLY need to have their phones with them while in school? Now on the other hand, the phones do serve as a way for students to contact emergency officials or their parents in the event of an emergency. Yet, we should weigh out the options. Does the good really out weigh the bad here? I certainly think that there is a time & place for cell phones, and a junior high or high school campus simply isn't that place. We are all so consumed by facebook, twitter, and our phones, isn't school designed to be a "get away" from all of this? It's sad that one kid's education will be affected by someone else's decision to allow students to possess phones on a campus. Am I saying that this kid was right for what he did, absolutely not!!! The student's action had to be addressed and it seems like school officials addressed it appropriately. However, I just think that had he/she not been allowed to have the phone on campus, this problem may have been averted.